Improvement in ironing apparatus



W; HALSTED. IRoNING-APPARATUS. No. 182,753, Patented 0ct..3, 1876.

N.PETERS, PHmo-UTHOGRAVHER. wAsmN'BToN. D C,

UNHED S'rA'ras WILLIAM HALsrED, OF JTRENTON, NEW JEnsEYQ IMPROVEMENTIN lRoNlNG APPARATus.. i

specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 182,753, dated October 3, 1876; application filed i LAugustanno. z

To all whom iiti-bnayconcern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HALsTED,

.of Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State ;of New Jersey, have invented certain newv and useful Improvements in Drying, Sprinkling, Ironing, and Flutiug Machines; and I do hereby declare that'the following is a full,

clear, and. exact description thereof, which will. enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,- and to the ,letters of reference marked thereon, which form 'a part of this specification. My invention consists in a special construction of anapparatus adapted for dryin g, sprinkling, ironing, and fluting fabrics or garments, 'the construction being such that the drier and ironer may be rolled over the material to be sprinkled and smoothed, and the fiuting portion over the material to be fluted, the apparatus containing a self-heating device and a blower,`and carrying a supply'of water for sprinkling, all as more particularly hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an end view of an apparatus embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a central cross-section with the sprinkler turned down for use; Fig. 3, a longit'udiual Vertical section 5 Fig. 4, details showing crosssections of difierent forms of blower-tubes; and Fig. 5, different Varieties of the loose fluting piece or plate. o

Ais a hollow cylinder, ofany appropriate size and material-say ofsheet-iron, cast-iron, Russia iron, or copper, the end or ends of which should be not entirely closed, and, preferably, such that they may be easily removed and re- I placed at pleasure; and, if desired, a pivoted or sliding' piece may be adapted to cover the opening or openings in the end, so as to adjust and vary, as may be desired, the extent of such opening. To these ends B, or on or through them, is affixed a hollow axle, O, made of any appropriate metal, the ends d d of which project beyond the ends of the cylinder, to serve as Journals, by means of which the cylinder,

through the instrumentality of a hook, rope, chain, or of a handle, E, may be drawn forward and compelled to roll along like an ordinary roller. That part of thehollow axle Whichis withinthe cylinder may be made eithertrii angular in cross-section, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, or square, 'or circular, as shown in'Fig'. 4; and in either case its under side or sides must be perforated, When madetriangular the base of the triangle should be uppermost and non-perforated, while the two under sides should be perforated. When square, the under side and two adjacent sides should be perlforated, if'thebottom be placed in a horizontal position, the object of these perforations being to admit forced currents of air from without to the ignited fuel within. i o

Within the cylinder, and suspended from its axle in such manner that it will -alw'a-ys hang below this axle, is a pan or fire-pot, F, made of sheet-iron or copper, or other metal, preferably extending .nearly the whole length of the cylinder, and nearly filling'or occupying the space below` the top of the-axle, there `being space venough left between its ends and sides and those of the'interiorof the cylinder to permit the free rolling of the cylinder back- Ward or forward without interferiug with ,the

snspended position of the pan.` By supplyin g this pan with charcoal, coke, or other proper combustible, and igniting it, the cylinder may be heated to any required degree for drying, smoothing, ironing, or fluting, and then by means of its handle drawn backward and forward with great facility over the garment or material to be treated, and with the use of a very little fuel.

In order to blow the fire by the motion of the cylinder over the table, I apply to each end of the hollow 'axle a cap-piece, G, provided with two opposite funnels, x, adapted, as the cylinder is rolled, to carry a volume of air through the advancing funnel into the hollow journal, and thence through its perforations before named directly over and to the ignited fuel.

may be placed Within the cap-piece, the better to divert the entering current of air toward the interior of the cylinder, and to pre'vent the escape of a portion of such entering current through the opposite mouth or funnel, or any simple flap or valve opening inward may, for the same purpose, be applied to thesmaller If desired, a short axial strip of metal end of each funnel, and the current entering through one funnel Would thus tend to closel 'the valve of the opposite one.

For the purpose of fiutin g I affix to the periphery of the cylinder, at one of its ends, a corrngated piece of metal, H, and also provide a loose piece, I, of aboutequal length, and having similar corrugations, andiwhich is to be heated before using it; and upon laying' this piece I horizontally upon the ironin g table and the article to be fiuted upon it, the rolling of the piece H over them imparts the fluting to the fabric or dress. The piece I may be of corrugated metal strong enough to preserve its Shape during the process of heating and fluting, or it may be cast solid, as shown at lc `in Fig. 5, or of corrugated metal, affixed to a solid or'cast bed, as shown at l in Fig. 5.

For the purpose of sprinkling the goods or garmentsto be ironed, smoothed, or fluted, I

emploT the following device, which may vbe made attachable and detachable, relatively to the apparatus above described.

1 provide a metallic or other box, M, of a length about equal to that of the cylinder, and

attach it in front of the roller in such manner that when filled or supplied with Water its top shall be uppermost. This top I perforate with small holes, through which the water may be sprinkled, the water being first supplied to the box through its mouth fn, which, of. course, should then be corked or plugged. The box is so hung that it may be turned over with its top toward the person using the apparatus, and it then sprinkles as may be required, and, when again turned back, ceases to sprinkle. Thus it is always under control when attached, and, when not needed, may be removed forthe time being, and the ironing roller used without it.

' The fire-pan may be perforated and be made double, with an open air space between the perforated part and its exterior non-perforated part. This will allow air-currents to pass under the fuel, and rise up through such perforations and through the fuel, thus facilitating combustion. In an apparatus of large size, this would be desirable; but in sinaller ones, where the quantity of fuel in the pan is quite small, it would not be needed.

It will be understood that when the implement is used for ordinary ironing, and not for flutin g or crimping, the corrugated part H of the cylinder or roller does not rest upon the table or fabric, but only the smooth portion, the corrugation in such case lying outside the edge of the table.

I claiin- 1. rllhe combination of a hollow ironingroller, A, adapted to be propelled over the material to be smoothed or ironed, an aXle provided with the journals d d, on which the f ends of the cylinder revolve, and a suspended fire-pot or pan within such roller for heating the same, substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. The combination of the hollow roller A, fire-pan F, and the hollow pertoratedblowertube U within the roller, and communicating with inlets through which air from Without may enter, substantially as and for the-purpose set forth.V

3. The combination, with the hollow roller andits inclosed fire-pan, ofa sprinkling-vessel, lsubstantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, with the hollow roller i and its inclosed fire-pan, of the fluting device H affixed thereon, and adapted for joint use with the separate fluting-piece I, substantially as shown and described.

` WM. HALSTED. Vi/'itnessesz W. H. MELLACH, JAMEs J. SMITH. 

